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Chapter 1

Only ten minutes had passed from when I'd plopped myself down in a plush cushioned chair inside the sunny waiting room until I saw scuffed white sneakers creep into the line ofat the wood floors and thinking that private care facilitiesdark wood

Then again, Charlie Clark's parents had spared no expense when it ca-term care Got him in the best facility in Philadelphia The amount of money they spent yearly had to be astrono at Mona's and doing web design on the side

I iht it made up for the fact they visited Charlie only once a year, for like twentypeople in the world than me, because the faht about his parents was hard to ignore as I draggedsmile plastered across the nurse's face I blinked once and then twice, not recognizing the copper hair or the fresher, younger hazel eyes

This lady was new

She glanced up at the top of er than normal, but her smile didn't falter It wasn't like my hair was that crazy I'd switched out the deep red streaks for chunky purple ones a few days ago, but it did look like a hot ths into I'd closed down the bar last night, which , and getting up, brushingmy face before I made the drive into the city was a hell of a feat

"Roxanne Ark?" she said as she stopped in front of ether

My brain screeched to a halt at the sound of ood chance they were cokeheads in the eighties or so "Roxanne," and 's real name

"Yes," I said, reaching for the tote bag I'd brought with me

Her smile remained firmly in place as she motioned to the closed double doors "Nurse Venter is out today, but she explained that you come every Friday afternoon at noon, so we have Charlie ready"

"Oh no, is she okay?" Concern pinged around me Nurse Venter had become a friend over the last six years I visited Somarried in October, and her randchild last month, in July

"She's come doith an end-of-summer cold," she explained "She actually wanted to coured it would be better if she took the weekend to recover" The new nurse stepped aside as I stood "She did tell me that you like to read to Charlie?"

I nodded as I tightened rip on my tote

Stopping at the doors, she tugged off her clipped nae and swiped it over a sensor on the wall There was a popping sound and then she pushed the door open "He's had an okay couple of days Not as great as we'd like," she continued as we stepped in the wide, brightly lit hall The walls hite and bare No personality Nothing "But he was up early this "